Inexperience is a state of opposites. In some, inexperience is caution, doubt, and paralysis. In others, inexperience is naïve boldness.
The disadvantage of inexperience is also its advantage – ignorance.
Inexperience:
#1. Inexperience doesn’t know what can’t be done.
“We tried that, and it didn’t work,” is the voice of experience choking innovation.
Naïveté is a gift to Dreamers and an alarm to Doers.
#2. Inexperience underestimates difficulty.
Experience exchanges the bright-eyed luster of children for clear focus learned in the crucible of failure and success.
#3. Inexperience gets excited easily.
Experience is steady-on.
#4. Inexperience is not as smart as it thinks, and neither is experience.
The person who stops learning eventually becomes a fool.
4 ways to be inexperienced like a pro:
Moving up makes you inexperienced again.
#1. Practice humility.
Listen to the voice of experience, but make up your own mind.
#2. Ask intelligent questions.
Turn toward experienced leaders and ask, “What should I be asking?”
Other intelligent questions include…
- What’s next?
- What’s important about this?
- Who might know?
- What are we learning?
- Who needs to know?
The best thing rookie leaders can know is that they don’t know. (That goes double for experienced leaders.)
#3. Talk things over AND make decisions.
Inexperience is known for extremes – all talk and no action or all action and no listening.
#4. Constantly build relationships.
You’re going to ask experienced people to do things they might not want to do. It will go easier if they know you respect them.
Tip:
The cure for inexperience is trying things.
You prolong inexperience when you avoid new experiences.
Advance the potential of inexperienced team members by helping them try things.
- Assign short-term projects.
- Debrief frequently. Trying things is the path to learning only if you create learning opportunities.
- Respond respectfully to responsible failure.
What would you add to the above list, 4 Ways to be Inexperienced Like a Pro?
How might leaders maximize inexperience? Their own? Others?
Added resource: Rookie Smarts: Why Learning Beats Knowing in the New Game of Work: Liz Wiseman